Part 1: Menu Planning Basics

Breakfast basics

Choose foods high in protein and nutrient-dense carbohydrates, such as whole grains, low-fat dairy and whole fruit. This could include re-heating leftovers.

Adding more vegetables

•  Add an extra cup of chopped veggies into your favorite omelet, soup, casserole, or whole grain pasta or brown rice dish.

•  Add slices of cucumber, peppers, or onions to a sandwich.

•  Add veggies as a filling in a burrito or quesadilla. Top a pizza with veggies.

•  Shred carrots, zucchini, or an apple into muffins or other baked goods.

•  Use fruits and vegetables, such as unsweetened apple sauce or avocado to replace some of the saturated fat and sugar in a recipe.

•  Blend greens into a smoothie.

•  Grill vegetable kabobs, such as tomatoes, green peppers, and mushrooms.

Adding more fruits

•  Fruit makes a great to-go snack. Pack a banana, apple or grapes, or any kind of dried fruit.

•  Add crushed pineapple to coleslaw.

•  Add fruit to your salad, such as dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped apple.

•  Make fruit the center of dessert, such as cut-up or whole berries, chunks of citrus fruit, or sliced bananas.

Meal ideas

Focus on entrees with less meat, more vegetables and more whole grains.

•  Pasta or rice with lean ground turkey or garbanzo beans, variety of chopped veggies and tomato sauce.

•  Large salad with greens, chopped vegetables, lean meat or seafood, and legumes (e.g. garbanzo or kidney). Top with an oil and vinegar dressing.

•  Stir-fry with 3-4 kinds of sliced vegetables, chicken breast or extra firm tofu, and brown rice or whole grain couscous. Season with garlic, ginger and low-sodium soy sauce.

•  Soup with beans or lentils, chopped vegetables, and instant barley.

Snack ideas

•  Peanut butter + apple slices, celery sticks, or whole grain crackers

•  Hummus + sliced veggies (carrots, cucumber, string beans)

•  String cheese and whole grain crackers or fruit

•  Homemade granola bars

•  Homemade trail mix with whole grain cereal, seeds, nuts and dried fruit

•  Plain yogurt with sliced fruit or berries

•  Whole grain cereal with low-fat milk

•  Homemade smoothie with whole fruit and plain yogurt